Sunday, 9 August 2015

Yesterday we took a day out to Lincoln, mainly so I could complete my holiday clothes stash. If you are a frequent reader of my channel you will know I've become a bit of an afternoon tea pro, and have made it my mission to have it on every new city I visit. Lincoln is of course not new to me (I lived there for 5 years whilst at University) but I realized we've never experienced afternoon tea there before, so as a spontaneous last minute decision and a quick search on my phone, we ended up at Bunty's on steep hill.

This is the cutest little vintage tea shop I have probably ever been in. I've experienced pretty little shabby chic tea shops before, but this was like stepping back in time without the artificial-ness!

The café was pretty tight in terms of space (although I do think there was extra seating upstairs), however the closeness made it cosy, which I can imagine to be really nice in the winter. Although small, you weren't sat on top of each other and the tables were nicely spaced apart to give you privacy. We were seated in a little nook under some stairs on the upper tier of the café. The table was adorned with vintage black & white photographs placed underneath the glass which occupied us whilst we waited for our food!

We were given a choice of 2 sandwich fillings which is very unusual, all the typical fillings were listed except salmon, which didn't bother me as that's my least favourite! I chose Egg Mayonaise and Mike chose Tuna Mayonaise, very original but nice. We also got to choose if we wanted fruit or plain scones, again, which was to Mike's advantage as he doesn't like fruit scones, so we went for one of each. And lastly we were able to pick from an array of homemade cakes. I went for lemon and Mike chose the white chocolate and raspberry.

When the drinks arrived the crockery and teapot was very vintage, nothing matched (which I believe was deliberate, and added to the effect). I noticed each tables teapots were different, and some were rather quirky...it was nice knowing that they had a lot of history attached to them.

When the food arrived, the sandwiches were surrounded by tomatoes and cucumber, and a pile of crisps. The scones accompanied by fresh clotted cream and jam, and the cake slices were huge (that huge that I couldn't finish mine off, which is unlike me!). I also loved the little touches.. a Cath Kidston-esque mini flag on one of the scones, and a fresh piece of lavender that sat alongside the cakes, with a little 'bunty's tea room' ribbon wrapped round - sometimes its the small touches that make the experience seem a whole lot better.

The service was great and the staff seemed really genuine and friendly. For £22, I'd definitely recommend, and I'll be visiting again, if not for whole afternoon tea, then definitely just to sample some more cake!

Monday, 3 August 2015

I know its such a cliché thing but each Degustabox marks the end of another month, and by god are these months flying by. I remember when I hit my early twenties and I started to notice time slowly starting to disappear before my eyes. My mum used to say to me 'you wait till you get older.. it gets worse'. Fast forward 10 years and blimey - We're half way through the summer now and its vanishing before my eyes.

Anyway, enough about time concepts!

This months' box* was a rather healthy one and focused quite heavily on drinks, which was a little sad - but made sense as we all drink more (both alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks!) in the heat.

Lets take a closer look...

Weetabix (x 2) - £1.49

This is cereal in a bottle - Not literally, but it contains all the energy, protein and fibre of a bowl of Weetabix, which is pretty cool. These are brill if you're running late or great if you're lazy! I have an early start on Friday's, so I tend to grab an 'on-the-go' breakfast, shove in my handbag then eat when I arrive at work at 8am. That's exactly what I did this Friday and I actually enjoyed it and found it rather filling. My hunger didn't kick in till later on in the day too, so I was pretty impressed. The taste? A nice smooth almost milkshake texture, both chocolate and vanilla flavours were yummy and I definitely wouldn't hesitate in purchasing one of these again.

Fru Snax (x 2) - £1.25

These little bags are full of fruit and yogurt that have been frozen but with all the flavour still packed in them. If I'm honest, I didn't take to these at all - The texture of the yogurt pieces reminded me a little of hard meringue, which is fine, but the taste itself wasn't doing anything for me. Great for those that are health conscious though!

Say Yes to No - £1.49

The concept behind these are pretty good (if not a little critical and controversial) - Basically they pride themselves on their honest advertising, lack of artificial colours and flavours, and honest promises. The packaging hints that other crisp brands offer false advertising and photoshopped images. Basically these crisps are 'you get what you see' 'does what it says on the tin' attitude, which is great. The crisps themselves aren't like normal crisps... they reminded me a bit like some form of rye bread. They're a lot thicker and crunchier in texture than typical crisps. I had sour cream flavour however if it wasn't for the flavouring, I don't think I would have liked these as much. I felt like I was drawn in for the wrong reasons.

Tasty Little Numbers (x 2) - £3.49

These low calorie meals are great for if you lead a busy lifestyle - They're a little on the small side so would be better for a lunchtime snack, however if you're wanting them at tea, they'd work well accompanied by rice for a bigger meal. They are gluten free, which instantly made me make a judgement that they wouldn't taste as nice, however I was pleasantly surprised. I had chicken tikka which was really nice, and my boyfriend had the chilli-con-carne and he gave good reports too (which is something because he's anti healthy food!). I think they are a little overpriced though for the quantity.

So Strawberry Lambrini - £3.29

Everyone loves a nice light refreshing drink, especially in the summer. I never tried this as I don't tend to like any alcohol, however my boyfriend did and it went down quite nicely. He said it was 'light and refreshing'. Lambrini is always good to take round to a friends as well, easy on the bank balance and everyone seems to like it.

Taking The Pea - £1.50

Firstly, can we all appreciate the naming of this product - very clever! I enjoyed these. They were very similar to one of the items from Bombay mix. They had an oriental taste to them which became addictive very quickly! They are fresh grown flavoured peas. They provide 'more protein than crisps and less fat than nuts'. Another one for throwing in your bag.

Newton's Appl Fizzics - £1.20

I had this last night and I'm not sure what to think to it. I liked the fact that it was in a glass bottle (always makes it feel a little more luxurious!) however I felt the taste could have been a little sweeter.

Little Miracles (x 2) - £1.50

I'm sure this is probably the third time I've received a Little Miracles drink since being subscribed, which if I'm honest, is a little disappointing. I like variety and although they are nice and refreshing, and unique in flavour, I do like to try as much as possible!

Degustabox have recently introduced a new concept which they have named 'DB's Discoveries' - Brands that Degustabox love that their audience may not have yet discovered (I'm struggling to find a difference between this new concept and their overall aim?) - Either way, this months discovery for me was 'Jele Beautie'. It came in a cute little 'suckable' foil pouch and Ahh, the taste was amazing. Grape flavoured, the consistency was quite thick - imagine watered down jelly, complete with jelly bits inside, I really enjoyed it. I think this would be perfect for kids as well, especially because of the design of the pouch - no spillage! Definitely one I'd repurchase.

For those that are unaware of Degustabox - It is a monthly food subscription box that is delivered straight to your door. At £12.99 a pop (inc delivery) this box helps you to discover foods and brands that you wouldn't normally head for on a typical weekly food shop. It helps those less adventurous in terms of food become a little more daring! Life's too short to stick to boring food!